To Catch A Firefly
by nariai
Summary: In a world where soul mates shared the same eye color, Inoue Orihime was born with emerald green eyes. [Drabble Story]
1. Chapter 1

**I just literarily finished writing this chapter. The inspiration hit me while I was reading a story with the same pairing and I couldn't stop myself from writing it.**

 **I have decided that each chapter will contain five drabbles. They will probably be in a chronological order.**

 **Summary: In a world where soulmates shared the same eye color, Inoue Orihime was born with emerald green eyes. [Drabble Story]  
**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 _To Catch a Firefly_

 _Chapter One_

* * *

 _"What if you find your soul mate... at the wrong time?"_  
 _― Lauren Kate, Passion_

* * *

I.

* * *

Inoue Orihime was born on the 3rd of September 1995. Her tiny body frail, yet eyes wide open and filled with innocent wonder. She wasn't a silent child, no, Orihime was a screamer. She screamed on the day of her birth and continued to do so through the rest of her life.

At the beginning those screams were nothing but the helpless cries of an infant, after her brother's death they turned into sobs, then shouts for Kurosaki Ichigo and lastly into _his_ name.

* * *

II.

* * *

In a world where soul mates shared the same eye color, Orihime was born with emerald green eyes. Through them she watched her peers and searched for the one person who was supposed to be her other half.

Orihime met many people. Among them a few she wished to call her own.

Kurosaki Ichigo was the highest on that list.

Unfortunately, the only thing they shared was their rather unusual hair color.

* * *

III.

* * *

She fell in love with soft brown eyes and a courageous but bad temper to boot.

* * *

IV.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo was everything she could have ever wanted.

Protective. Caring. _Good._

He was everything her true soul mate would never be.

* * *

V.

* * *

Orihime continued searching for the one person who shared her eyes.

She even tried to find him on the internet, through different social media, but nothing ended up being successful.

The young girl searched and searched and never found the one she was looking for.


	2. Chapter 2

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 2_

* * *

 _"Do the dead frighten you?"_  
 _― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones_

* * *

VI.

* * *

She had been only twelve years old when her brother had died, leaving her alone in this cruel world. His demise was an unexpected one and perhaps that was the reason for why it _hurt_ so much.

Orihime never got the chance to apologize for her harsh last words and _childish_ behavior. Sora died before she could have given him one last embrace. Before she could have told him how important he truly was.

 _Her most precious person._

A week after his death, Orihime had sat alone at the edge of a river, scattering a part of her innocence along with her brother's ashes to the cold wind.

* * *

VII.

* * *

Orihime was often seen as a naive young girl, who could only see the good in the world. Her friends did everything to protect her from the harsh reality that surrounded them, never knowing that she could see more clearly than most.

She knew the truth about this world, knew of the people who leered at her curvaceous body and knew of the thoughts that ran through their heads.

Orihime saw the world for what it truly was and unlike many others she did not need to be protected. Unnoticed by all of her friends, it was her who did the protecting. Each day she gifted the people surrounding her with the most radiant of smiles and made sure to brighten all of their days.

In a world as dark as the night, Orihime decided to become the brightest of suns.

* * *

VIII.

* * *

Meeting your soul mate was not a certainty but a _privilege._

Only one person in a thousand ever met its other half. One reason for that was that soul mates were not necessarily born in the same country. They could be living thousand of miles apart for their whole lives and never truly know what they were missing.

There was another reason for why coming across ones soulmate was so rare. While many speculated that people with the same eye color were two halves of one soul, it did not mean that they were born at the same time.

Orihime could still remember the scandal that occurred when a fifteen years old student in America discovered that her soul mate was her almost fifty years old math teacher. It caused many problems and brought up dozens of questions no one could truly answer.

The most jarring one, however, was how far apart soul mates could be truly born.

 _No one wanted to know the answer to that._

* * *

IX.

* * *

 _Four hundred years. Inoue Orihime was born almost four hundred years after her soul mate's death._

* * *

X.

* * *

Discovering the existence of an afterlife gave her hope.

Not only hope at meeting her brother again, but also at having an eternity to find whoever was meant for her.

Though she tried not to, Orihime still thought of the many scenarios in which she could meet her prince charming. Whether he was dead or alive did not matter, he would come into her life and certainly save the day no matter who or what he was.

The problem was that Orihime never considered the option of _him_ being a _hollow,_ nor did she ever think that her soul mate would try to kill her on their first meeting.


	3. Chapter 3

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 3_

* * *

 _"It's like learning to ride a unicorn. You never forget."_  
 _― Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl_

* * *

XI.

* * *

 _''Trash.''_

She did not immediately notice him, her attention stolen by his brute-like companion and her own ailing friends. But somehow, that one word, spoken by a deep and yet soft male voice, managed to capture Orihime's entire being and force her gaze to meet his own.

Familiar emerald orbs starred back at her and Inoue Orihime realized how cruel the world truly was.

A _hollow._ Her soul mate was a _hollow._

* * *

XII.

* * *

 _He_ told the brute to kill her and her friends.

Though she wished for all of this to be nightmare, Orihime knew that the man, unlike how the tear tracks on his cheeks belied, did not feel anything at all. Not when both of them realized who the other truly was, nor when his companion slapped her so hard that she almost bit off her tongue.

But none of that made her actually cry. The cause of her tears was the fact that while leaving he did not turn to look back even once.

For him she was nothing but _trash._

* * *

XIII.

* * *

 _''Inoue-san...''_

Urahara Kisuke was the only one who noticed the truth and that was reason enough for her to avoid him for the following months. She ran away before he could have said anything else and made sure that none of her friends found out about the enemy that turned out to be her other half.

And what did that say about her?

* * *

XIV.

* * *

 _Malicious green eyes haunted all of her dreams and made her fear falling asleep._

* * *

XV.

* * *

 _He_ came back for her. Handled with none of the care she had wished for and robbed her of the only home she had ever had.

The sad thing was that Orihime did not mind the way he treated her at all. He could have killed her and she would have been happy to die at his hands.

 _Ulquiorra Cifer was her soul mate and such her most precious person of all._


	4. Chapter 4

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 4_

* * *

 _"Only the dead have seen the end of war."  
― Plato_

* * *

XVI.

* * *

Most of the Espada regarded her with a morbid curiosity. Some even openly laughed at her predicament.

What they all saw was a little human girl that had ended up being trapped by _fate._ A whim of their master and a useless child.

Orihime did not miss the way both the Sexta and Quinto Espada looked her. As if she was just a piece of meat they could use and then discard.

That is until she managed to restore the blue-haired man's missing arm and they finally registered the danger she truly represented.

* * *

XVII.

* * *

The power to reject phenomena that had already occurred was put into her fragile hands.

Aizen explained everything to her. Explained that fate had no power over her and that only she herself could fight god's will.

Orihime realized that those powers were the only thing that made her worth keeping. The only reason for why her soulmate had been interested in her to begin with.

 _She was glad to have them._

* * *

XVIII.

* * *

Ulquiorra Cifer was assigned to her as her keeper. A guardian of sorts that would take care of Orihime during her stay in Las Noches.

He listened to what his orders entailed with a blank face, only turning towards her once his master dismissed them. ''Come, _woman.''_

Orihime supposed that it sounded nicer than 'trash'.

* * *

XIX.

* * *

Her new room was located a floor below the Espada's own chambers. It had a bed, a couch and a small table. Just like the walls they were all colored white.

The adjoining bathroom was the same. Only white could be found there as well.

Orihime knew that the emerald green eyes of her soul mate would now be the only things that colored her otherwise bleak world.

* * *

XX.

* * *

Las Noches was divided into many different parts. Each Espada received one tower for themselves and their underlings.

Ulquiorra had none of those.

Besides the few servants that scurried around his tower and kept it clean, there was no one inside her soul mate's so called 'home'.

Surrounded by those stark white walls, Orihime had never felt so _lonely_ before.


	5. Chapter 5

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 5_

* * *

 _"Freedom lies in being bold."_  
 _― Robert Frost_

* * *

XXI.

* * *

 _He_ visited her at least once a day and always managed to startle her out of a daydream.

Orihime liked it...the visits and the daydreaming.

During the last week she had actually become very proficient at the latter. As a prisoner of Aizen the girl did not have the privilege of leaving her room by herself, thus she spent most of the time in her cell, _alone._ The room did not offer much of anything, so Orihime could not do much else but dream about a life she would never have.

* * *

XXII.

* * *

All her day were the same now.

Orihime woke up, got dressed and ate her breakfast. If she was lucky, it tasted good. Then she was left to her own devices and could do whatever she wanted in the confinement of her room. Sometimes she took a nap or a bath, other times the girl just looked out through the open window at the endless dessert of Hueco Mundo. Afterwards a servant arrived with her dinner and came to get the used trays about half an hour later.

Orihime yearned for Ulquiorra's visit through all of it and could not stop herself from smiling brightly whenever he finally came.

* * *

XXIII.

* * *

''I'm not here to converse with you, woman.'' His voice intercepted the partly expressed question. Emotionless eyes met her own and she _flinched._

Not for the first time, Orihime looked _away._

* * *

XXIV.

* * *

She never stopped trying to talk to him and after a while he ceased trying to put an end to her incessant chatter.

* * *

XXV.

* * *

Ulquiorra came into her room without anything covering his upper body once.

Her first reaction had been to blush and start covering her eyes. That is, until Orihime noticed the black number four tattooed onto his chest.

 _Ulquiorra Cifer, the Quatro Espada._

Then came her next, truly awful, realization.

 _Her soul mate had no heart._


	6. Chapter 6

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 6_

* * *

 _"We accept the love we think we deserve."_  
 _― Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower_

* * *

XXVI.

* * *

As days passed and slowly changed into weeks Orihime gradually got used to her new life. Being alone in her room for the whole day was still a daunting experience, but sometimes she actually appreciated the silence and calm. It gave her enough time to think about her life and all that has happened to her.

Orihime analyzed her situation and tried to find the moment during which everything started to go wrong.

 _She could not find it._

* * *

XXVII.

* * *

Dining with Aizen was one of the most horrifying experiences she had to go through. The man frightened her beyond believe and his ability to manipulate every person he came across was more dangerous than any physical powers he might have possessed.

Although those weren't sparse either.

Orihime had felt the breathtaking pressure of his _reiatsu_ when one of the Espada dared to defy him. Long story short, it did not end well for the Quinto Espada. He was punished heavily and did not speak a word in Aizen's presence for the next two weeks.

 _Unless spoken to, she didn't dare to utter a word either._

* * *

XXVIII.

* * *

It wasn't Aizen's reiatsu that frightened her the most though, no, it were the feelings he evoked inside of her that terrified Orihime into a frozen stupor.

 _Sometimes she actually believed that he wasn't all that bad._

* * *

XXIX.

* * *

''Walk faster, woman, there are more important things to do.'' He pushed her forward harshly, yet at the same time with enough care to cause no injury.

Since arriving in Hueco Mundo this was the first time she had left her cell with no true purpose. The only reason why she was allowed to do it was because Ulquoirra had been ordered to take her outside for a few walks. Aizen believed that she was getting a little too _pale_ of all things.

Though it might have also been just a tactic to torture them both.

* * *

XXX.

* * *

During some days Orihime hated herself for accepting her new life so easily. For accepting Ulquoirra so easily.

But how could she not do it? Should she have just rejected her soul mate as he had done her?


	7. Chapter 7

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 7_

* * *

 _"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot."_  
 _― Alexander Pope_

* * *

XXXI.

* * *

Not all soul mates shared a romantic relationship, but it was still the most common one.

Some just ended up being friends. Most times it happened was because they either did not fit each others sexual preferences or because of their familial relationship.

Parents all over the world rejoiced when they ended up having twins. There was a very high chance for them to end share exactly the same eyes, but many people still wondered if those happenstances weren't just wishful thinking.

More than once Orihime had wished to have been born with a twin.

Now more than ever.

* * *

XXXII.

* * *

The first time their hands touched was a mistake, the second time as well.

When she noticed that Ulquiorra did not seem to care, Orihime started brushing her fingers against his skin more often.

* * *

XXXIII.

* * *

There was something truly wonderful about being in contact with ones other half. Even just a fleeting graze of his hand against a finger caused warm tingles to wander up her arms.

And yet it did not seem to be enough.

More than once Orihime had to force herself to look away from Ulquiorra's lips.

* * *

XXXIV.

* * *

With time she learned the boundaries the Espada had set for their interactions.

Touches that seemed accidental were overlooked easily. If she sometimes, too tired to stand by herself, leaned her side against his, it would be ignored as well.

Sadly that did not include their fronts touching and her arms wrapping around his waist.

Orihime quickly understood that cuddling was not something Ulquiorra did.

* * *

XXXV.

* * *

It took her a lot longer to realize one important thing.

Hollows were beings that were driven by their instincts and that was something she could use against her other half.


	8. Chapter 8

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 8_

* * *

 _"We are all different. Don't judge, understand instead."  
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart _

* * *

XXXVI.

* * *

Ulquiorra arrived early one day.

When she heard the door of her room being opened, Orihime immediately left the bathtub and dressed herself as fast as possible. It was only once she entered her room that she noticed how indecent she actually looked.

Her white nightgown did not react well to her damp body. The material seemed to be almost transparent and as Orihime felt the Espada's gaze rake over her body, a blush heated her face.

His gaze moved upwards, emerald orbs a few shades darker than normally.

Their identical eyes clashed and something in her stomach churned.

* * *

XXXVII.

* * *

She decided to ask Aizen about hollows. The man knew a lot about them and she did not have anything to lose by just asking.

His answer confirmed what she had previously considered.

 _Hollows weren't bereft of all feelings. Theirs were just more instinctual and animalistic than those of humans._

Orihime could work with that.

* * *

XXXVIII.

* * *

Seduction was not her chosen course of action.

She was too young and inexperienced to do something like that properly. Instead Orihime decided to appeal to his instincts, which was similar enough but not completely the same.

* * *

XXXIX.

* * *

Dressing herself slightly more revealingly was easy. Forcing Ulquiorra to notice her was almost impossible.

* * *

XL.

* * *

Force wasn't the right choice. It only prompted an aggressive reaction in form of insults that were directed towards her friends.

The bone jarring slap that followed was something Orihime regretted for many days.


	9. Chapter 9

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 9_

* * *

 _"One love, one heart, one destiny."_  
 _― Bob Marley_

* * *

XLI.

* * *

''Don't you need to eat?'' Asked Orihime in between two bites. That day another bland meal had been brought to her. But instead of being forced to eat alone, she had the unexpected pleasure of dining in Ulquiorra's company.

The Espada himself was as impassive as ever. He just sat before her and regarded her with his expressionless eyes. ''Hollows do not require the same sustenance as humans.''

''Oh.'' Orihime tilted her head curiously to the side. ''But you can eat human food, can't you? Perhaps one day I could cook something for you.''

The silence that followed was deafening and the human girl could stop the blood from rushing to her face.

* * *

XLII.

* * *

 _''What is a heart?''_

* * *

XLIII.

* * *

A servant with ill intentions once came into her room.

The female hollow entered with the pretense of bringing her food. She put a plate down in front of Orihime and then spilled half a teapot on her lap. It burned her skin and caused her to cry out in pain and shock.

''Well,'' began the intruder. ''you truly are a pitiful little creature, aren't you? I don't know what Aizen-sama could possibly see in you.''

She would have probably said more if it were not for the pale hand suddenly protruding out of her chest, exactly where the heart was located.

* * *

XLIV.

* * *

''You did not have to kill her.''

Identical eyes met. ''Would you have preferred that I let her kill you?''

* * *

XLV.

* * *

He was watching her exposed body with dark.

She had forgotten to take clean clothes into the bathroom before she went inside to have a shower, but it was still early so Orihime had not seen the harm in entering her sleeping quarters naked.

Ulquiorra was not meant to be there.

Orihime did not regret anything. Especially after she walked forward and pressed her damp lips against his.

 _There was no resistance._


	10. Chapter 10

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 10_

* * *

 _"The best lightning rod for your protection is your own spine."_  
 _― Ralph Waldo Emerson_

* * *

XLVI.

* * *

There was no hesitation in Ulquiorra's moves. His body fit perfectly against Orihime's, sharp teeth grazing her breasts.

Her own hands moved hesitantly over the planes of his body, dancing over pale flesh and the tattoo that marked him as one of the Espada. Once, as their tongues were sliding against each other, Orihime cut her flesh on one of his sharp canines.

The taste of her blood seemed to arouse him only further.

* * *

XLVII.

* * *

In the monochromatic room, only their eyes and Orihime's fiery hair stood out.

* * *

XLVIII.

* * *

The next time she awoke, Orihime was alone in bed.

Despite the fingerprints on her hips, the young girl _smiled._

* * *

XLVIX.

* * *

The other hollows started regarding her with wariness and something akin to _fear._

It did not take Orihime long to find out that her own smell had started blending with Ulquiorra's. That everyone could smell the Quatro Espada on her, _in_ her.

 _The warning was loud and clear._

* * *

L.

* * *

Aizen regarded her knowingly.

Grimmjow bared his teeth viciously.

Uquiorra's impassive expression never left his face.


	11. Chapter 11

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 11_

* * *

 _"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."_

 _― Edgar Allan Poe_

* * *

LI.

* * *

 _''What is this...feeling?''_

* * *

LII.

* * *

They were sitting inside her spacious bathtub, Orihime between Ulquiorra's legs. Gently, she scrubbed his body with a washcloth.

Unbidden, the girl's fingers wandered to the hole inside his chest. Tracing it almost hesitantly, Orihime searched her soulmate's gaze for a sign of discomfort.

A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist firmly. It did not stop her ministrations.

* * *

LIII.

* * *

''Nee, Ulquiorra?'' Orihime said.

The man in question did not seem to hear. As she had never expected to actually receive an answer, the girl continued speaking before the silence stretched on for too long. ''The food here is really bland. Can't I cook something for myself?''

''No,'' was the only answer she was gifted with.

Narrowing her eyes in determination, the teen prodded Ulquiorra's arm. ''Nee, Ulquiorra?''

Orihime did not give up until she was presented with an affirmation.

* * *

LIV.

* * *

 _There were times when Orihime felt incredibly guilty._

* * *

LV.

* * *

''You do realize the situation you're in, don't you, Orihime- _chan?''_

Ichimaru Gin's voice was immensely amused as he stopped the girl on the way to the kitchen.

Hesitantly, the teen looked at him over her shoulder.

''Ulquiorra will never betray Aizen-taicho, which means that there will come a day when you will have to chose between him and your friends.'' The smile on his face widened into a shark-like grin. ''I wonder, which will it be?''


	12. Chapter 12

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 12_

* * *

 _"Betrayal is the only truth that sticks."_

 _― Arthur Miller_

* * *

LVI.

* * *

Orihime was a liar.

A very proficient liar at that. She lied to her teachers and she lied to her friends, but the one thing she was the most capable in was lying to herself.

* * *

LVII.

* * *

She was sitting on one of the higher sand dunes, watching the happenings below her with rapt eyes.

Grimmjow had once again chosen to challenge Ulquiorra to fight, though perhaps challenge wasn't the right word. The Sexta Espada had attacked Orihime's soulmate during one of their walks through Las Noches. At first, the teen had been worried about the current happenings and her soulmate, but she was quickly forced to notice the truth about the strength of the two Espada.

Despite his arrogance and boisterous behavior, Grimmjow did not stand a chance against Ulquiorra.

* * *

LVIII.

* * *

After their fight, Orihime had to once again heal Grimmjow's missing arm.

Ulquiorra had cut it off when the other Espada had called her his whore.

* * *

LVIX.

* * *

In a world of many choices, Orihime only seemed to make the bad ones.

* * *

LX.

* * *

''Will you kill my friends?'' questioned the fiery haired teen.

Ulquiorra's green gaze moved towards her. ''If Aizen-sama orders it.''

 _Not even that answer could make her hate him._


	13. Chapter 13

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 13_

* * *

 _"To die will be an awfully big adventure."_  
 _― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan_

* * *

LXI.

* * *

Love, Orihime knew, was nothing pleasant.

Some people might have claimed that it was the most beautiful thing in the world, but they were just fools who had never truly felt such an all-encompassing emotion.

After all, it was love that prompted her to betray everyone and everything that she had ever known.

 _It was love that made her incapable of regretting even just one of her actions._

* * *

LXII.

* * *

''He's coming for you,'' stated Ulquiorra as his gaze wandered over her scantily clad curves. ''Kurosaki Ichigo is coming to rescue you.''

Heart pounding, Orihime's eyes met his own. ''Will you let him take me?''

* * *

LXIII.

* * *

 _She didn't need any rescuing._

* * *

LXIV.

* * *

They were in Ulquiorra's bedchambers, the Espada sleeping peacefully next to her. Unlike him, Orihime could not find any rest. Her mind kept going over the events that would come soon and the choices she would be forced to make.

Silent tears traveled downs her cheeks and with a soft sigh the girl realized that she had never hated someone as much as she hated _herself._

* * *

LXV.

* * *

 _In a monster's arms, that was where she felt the safest and most loved._


	14. Chapter 14

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 14_

* * *

 _"Saying goodbye is a little like dying."_

 _― Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood_

* * *

LXVI.

* * *

Standing alone in the middle of her room, Orihime regarded the perpetually dark sky of Hueco Mundo with sad eyes.

Soon, her comrades would be reaching the prison that had become her home through necessity.

She could only pray that they would survive the _monsters_ residing in this place.

* * *

LXVII.

* * *

 _''I love you.''_

* * *

LXVIII.

* * *

''What would you have me tell you? That your friends are alive and unharmed?'' Ulquiorra questioned, his voice completely emotionless. ''I'm not one of your foolish 'comrades', woman, so don't expect me to comfort you.''

Orihime had to bite back a sob.

* * *

LXIX.

* * *

 _She could not bring herself to hate him._

* * *

LXX.

* * *

They spend what Orihime knew might be their last night together, their limbs tangled with each other and bodies joined.

With a tired desperation, the girl held on to her lover.

She never wanted this moment to end.


	15. Chapter 15

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 15_

* * *

 _"Some days simply lay on you like stones."_  
 _― Patrick Rothfuss,_ _The Slow Regard of Silent Things_

* * *

LXXI.

* * *

The sounds of fighting echoed through the entirety of Hueco Mundo.

They reached Orihime's ears and made her whole body shake in silent _despair._

* * *

LXXII.

* * *

 _She had no idea whose side she was actually rooting for._

* * *

LXXIII.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo confronted her soulmate a lot sooner than Orihime had expected.

They fought each other, the sound of metal colliding ringing loudly in her ears.

Orihime had never seen so much hopelessness on her first love's face as she did the moment he discovered that Ulquiorra was _only_ the Cuatro Espada.

* * *

LXXIV.

* * *

Ulquiorra ripped out Ichigo's _heart_ and presented it to her as a mock offering.

(...The irony did not escape her...

...

...after all, tere was once a time when she had desired nothing more thant to hold that heart in her fragile hands...)

* * *

LXXV.

* * *

She hated herself for feeling _glad_ that her soulmate had not been hurt.


	16. Chapter 16

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 16_

* * *

 _"_ _It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."_

 _―_ _ **William Blake**_

* * *

LXXVI.

* * *

''Come.''

The word was spoken calmly, pulling Orihime's attention immediately from Kurosaki Ichigo's still body. Pulling it towards her soulmate who was already walking out of the room.

It was at that moment that the girl came to realize one rather significant fact; _there was a choice to make._

* * *

LXXVII.

* * *

Orihime had thought that she had chosen her soulmate the moment she had left the living world for him.

That turned out to be a wrong assessment the second she gazed upon her first love's motionless body and instead of trying to save him, she followed Ulquiorra out of the room.

* * *

LXXVIII.

* * *

 _''You're a monster.''_

* * *

LXXIX.

* * *

A hand against a cheek. Softly whispered words between barely touching mouths.

For a few seconds, Orihime managed to _forget._

* * *

LXXX.

* * *

Soon, Aizen called for them.


	17. Chapter 17

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 17_

* * *

 _"Power changes everything till it is difficult to say who are the heroes and who the villains."_

 _― Libba Bray, The Sweet Far Thing_

* * *

LXXXI.

* * *

They were stopped by Grimmjow before they managed to reach Aizen's throne room. After all the fights Orihime had witnessed between the two Espada, she thought she knew what to expect of its conclusion.

Surprisingly, she was _wrong._

* * *

LXXXII.

* * *

The Caja Negación dragged her soulmate into another dimension.

Orihime knew Ulquiorra well enough not to worry about such a little setback.

* * *

LXXXIII.

* * *

 _What she did have to worry about was suddenly being left at Grimmjow's mercy._

* * *

LXXXIV.

* * *

He dragged her towards Kurosaki Ichigo's dead body and forced her to heal him.

 _(...bring him back to life...)_

By threatening her, the Sexta Espada presented her with the perfect excuse for saving her friend.

For that, Orihime would always be in his debt.

* * *

LXXXV.

* * *

Internally, she was terrified of her own powers.

 _If she could overcome something as tremendous as death, what else could she do?_


	18. Chapter 18

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 18_

* * *

 _"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."_

 _― Martin Luther King Jr._

* * *

LXXXVI.

* * *

Ulquiorra came back for her.

* * *

LXXXVII.

* * *

The beating Grimmjow received from her soulmate was both brutal and unnecessary.

After all, Orihime doubted that it managed to teach the weaker Espada anything of value.

* * *

LXXXVIII.

* * *

 _''What is a heart?''_

* * *

LXXXIX.

* * *

Despite her outward braveness, Orihime could not help questioning her own beliefs.

She might have talked a lot about love, family, and friends, but at the end, what did a child like her ever truly know about life and its most important aspects?

* * *

XC.

* * *

She was not surprised to see Ichigo challenging her soulmate once again.

 _(...Their final fight would end up teaching her one of the most important lessons in her life: There was nothing as cruel in the world as_ love _...)_


	19. Chapter 19

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 19_

* * *

 _"And we all know love is a glass which makes even a monster appear fascinating."_  
 _― Alberto Moravia, The Woman of Rome_

* * *

XCI.

* * *

Vast and filled with more despair than any one person could ever hope to withstand, Ulquiorra's reiatsu was not like anything she had ever felt before. It was so potent that it became visible all around them in the form of an acidic colored rain.

Ishida and even Kurosaki Ichigo trembled in fear in the face of it, and yet Orihime remained untouched. Ulquiorra's reiatsu washed over her in what some might consider to be a comforting gesture, creating a protective shield all around her.

The girl did not think that her soulmate did this consciously. Most probably, it was just the instinct of a soul to protect its other half.

* * *

XCII.

* * *

Their fight could be heard for miles, their power felt for even farther distances.

It took Orihime a crippling amount of time to reach a position from which she could see them as well.

* * *

XCIII.

* * *

 _Monstrous, that's what Ulquiorra looked like once her eyes finally beheld him._

* * *

XCIV.

* * *

With his tail wrapped tightly around Ichigo's throat, Ulquiorra looked down at her with unfamiliar _golden_ eyes and said, _''Perfect timing. Watch carefully. The man to whom you entrusted all your hopes is about to die.''_

* * *

XCV.

* * *

 _Orihime screamed and the entire world exploded._


	20. Chapter 20

_To Catch A Firefly_

 _Chapter 20_

* * *

 _"So it's true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love."_  
 _― E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly_

* * *

XCVI.

* * *

There was a ringing sound in her ears. It seemed to go in tandem with the harsh beating of her heart.

One step and then another. Somewhere along the way Ishida helped her climb the pillar upon which her soulmate stood. Orihime stumbled upon the stone, her gaze carefully avoiding the the monstrous form of her soulmate and the defeated body of her first love.

Slowly, the girl took a step away from her friend. A step in the wrong direction.

 _She had made her choice a long time ago._

* * *

XCVII.

* * *

Ulquiorra's hand felt soft around hers; an illusion of safety that was easily contradicted by the deadly sharpness of his claws. They scrapped gently against her skin, never breaking it but still very much capable.

Despite what she had witnessed just moments before, Orihime was not afraid to hold it.

Some, after all, might consider her to be the bigger _monster_ out of the two of them.

* * *

XCVIII.

* * *

Somehow, she didn't know the exact details, Orihime managed to convince Ulquiorra to leave with her. Perhaps it was her unwavering loyalty towards him or the understanding that seemed to appear within his eyes somewhere along the way, but somehow, against all reason, Orihime managed to convince Ulquiorra to abandon Aizen for her.

Leaving the dark expanse of Hueco Mundo was easier than it should have been.

Starting a new life among the living was the exact opposite.

* * *

XCIX.

* * *

In spite of everything, Orihime never came to regret her choices.

 _(...she ignored that one of the reasons why this was even possible was that against all odds, Kuchiki Rukia somehow managed to bring Ichigo back to life...)_

* * *

C.

* * *

When the war against Aizen was over and Yhwach was defeated, Soul Society came for them.

None of the injuries they inflicted upon the two soulmates lasted for more than a few seconds.

 _(...Orihime had long since_ rejected _the possibility of ever being parted from her soulmate...)_

Her former friends' power was vast and burning with a righteous anger.

 _It did not stand a chance against the might of a god._


End file.
